The Zhoghovurd daily writes:
"According to the information of the Zhoghovurd daily, the government is discussing the issue of postponing the planned mayoral elections in Vanadzor. According to our government sources, during the initial discussions, it was planned to hold the mayoral elections in Vanadzor in December of this year, with the main candidate of the CP being Lori Marz Governor Aren Mkrtchyan. However, as a result of discussions within the government, according to our sources, the preferred option has now become to move the elections to 2027.
The reason, according to our information, is the Vanadzor enlargement program. The point is that the government plans to merge the existing Vanadzor and Pambak communities of Lori Marz, forming one enlarged community called Vanadzor. The administrative center of the new community will be the city of Vanadzor, and a total of 22 settlements will be included in the merged community. This program is no longer only at the level of internal discussions of the government. The government has approved the relevant legislative package, which envisages creating a legal basis for the unification of the Vanadzor and Pambak communities. The package also envisages regulations related to the formation of local self-government bodies of the new community and the election of the council of elders.
In other words, the logic of the government, according to our sources, is as follows: first complete the Vanadzor-Pambak enlargement process, and then hold elections in the newly formed community. Otherwise, if the election takes place within the borders of the existing Vanadzor community, the issue of forming local self-government bodies for the new community will arise again after the enlargement. According to our sources, this is the reason why the government has started to take a step back from the elections scheduled for December, and is now discussing the option of moving them to 2027. The Vanadzor election is especially important for the government, since it concerns the largest community in Lori province.
And in the case of merging Vanadzor and Pambak, the political calculation of the election will be further expanded, including not only the city of Vanadzor, but also all 22 settlements included in the new community within the framework of one election. Although the government presents the enlargement process in the logic of administrative-territorial reform, according to sources of “Zhoghovurd”, there are also clear political calculations within the government regarding its timing and the upcoming elections.”
Details in today’s issue of “Zhoghovurd” daily.
